A few words from former Technoccult guest blogger Fell:
Fashion is the contemporary equivalent of the mask magic used by aborigines and shamans from times past. The difference is that the shaman had the power of wisdom, thus allowing her or him to encroach situations both spiritual and sociological, utilising the masks to their advantage. Modern-day fashion wh0r3s and the vulgar masses are unaware of their own esteem, thus they lack the power inherent in themselves and rely on the costume, their fa?ade, to supplant these necessary inner wisdoms of power.
And later on, in the comments:
As for fashion, it’s always interested me. Only now am I beginning to properly discern between hipsters and trendy folk, persons with a true style and intimate understanding of fashion as a symbolic language, and then the rest ? those that buy into styles and try to wrap incorporate them into their own veneer, such as skaters, preps, goths, et cetera.
I think this is a very important distinction to make, between fashion and style. How you dress has a magical/consciousness manipulation effect no matter what. But those with true sense of style seem to be more in control of really designing their own realities, rather than buying into ready made realities. And of course, someone can be a skater or goth or prep or whatever and have a deep sense of style. These people are often the trendsetters for a clique, or are on margins drifting between cliques. Either way, and consciously or not, they’re bending reality in conformity with their will.
Full Story: Occult Design: Fashion is contemporary mask magic
The Center for Tactical Magic(k)‘s first column in Arthur Magazine has some relevant commentary as well.
And speaking of clothes, I got my “23 / Everything is True” shirt from LVX23‘s Shiny Apes store today (more here).